He shook his head, disappointed. “How long were you lying to me? Huh? How long were you fucking my little sister?”
“It wasn’t like that, man. She was never just a fuck to me.”
“Every woman you ever came across was just another fuck to you, and you expect me to believe that she was any different?”
“She was. She meant … she means everything to me.”
“Is it you?”
I jerked back, confused. “Is it me, what?”
“Christian! Enough! Now!” Autumn pleaded, standing in front of him with her back to me.
“How can you even be with him after what he did to our family?”
“It’s not like that,” she explained. “Please just calm down and let me explain. I’m just his publicist.”
“So what’s the difference now? Huh? You don’t suck his dick for free anymore? Now he just pays for your pussy instead?”
My fist connected with his jaw, sending him flying back against a car.
Autumn’s stare went wide. “Oh my god!”
Kinley darted to her husband’s side while Autumn snapped around, getting right in my face. “Are you fucking insane?!”
I sternly pointed to him. “He cannot talk to you like that.”
“Why not? You do!”
Unable to control my temper, I roared, “What did he mean by is it me, Autumn?”
“Nothing.”
Christian shoved his sister out of the way, standing in front of me again.
“Christian, please!” she pleaded in a desperate tone that shook my body to the core.
“What’s going on?” I asked, torn and baffled by what was happening between them.
“How the fuck can you defend him, Autumn?!” His glare flew in my direction. “Is that why you left, Julian?! Huh? Couldn’t deal—”
“Christian, stop! Please!”
“It is you, isn’t it?! That’s why she’s defending you! Well, I won’t let her take the fall for you again, motherfucker!”
“For fuck’s sake! Just out with it, Christian! What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s you!” he raged, knocking me on my ass, and my world as I knew it came plummeting down on my head.
When he added…
“You’re the fucking father to her daughter!”
Chapter EIGHTEEN
—Julian—
“Daughter?” I breathed out, all the air from my lungs vanishing while I stood there unable to move, but for a much different reason this time. My eyes shot to Autumn. “What is he talking about?”
She stared at me with wide eyes and a terrified expression. The blood had drained from her face, and her chest rose and fell while she was frozen in place.
“Autumn.” I stepped toward her. “I won’t ask you again.”
She placed her hand over her heart like she was trying to hold it together, and in two strides I was in her face.
“Julian, please…”
“Please what, Autumn? I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me what the fuck Christian is talking about.” When she didn’t respond fast enough, I ordered, “Now!”
She jolted out of her skin, shuddering. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“I want the truth.”
“Holy shit.” Kinley jumped in, standing in between all of us. “Everyone needs to take a second and calm down, okay? This isn’t helping anyone.”
I didn’t pay her any mind—my focus was still on the liar in front of me. “Either you answer my question, or you’ll be answering my lawyer, kid.”
“Your lawyer?” she exclaimed, appearing every bit the damsel in distress she was trying to portray. “What do you need to call your lawyer for?”
“For a daughter I didn’t know I fucking had!”
“Stop yelling at me!”
“In a second I’m going to be doing a lot more than yelling at you.”
Christian shoved me back, placing his sister behind him. “You’re going to have to go through me, motherfucker.”
I growled from deep within my chest, not backing down. His threat meant shit to me. “I’m only going to say this once, so you better fucking listen. If you think I won’t go through you or anyone else who is trying to stand in between me and my child, then you have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
“You can’t take her away from me!” Autumn shouted, shaking her head. “I swear to God, Julian, I’ll—”
“You’ll what? Keep more secrets? Play more games? Lie to me some more? Tell me, sweatheart, what will you do?”
“You have no right to be angry with me! You left me, remember?”
“Did you know you were pregnant at your brother’s wedding?”
She winced.
“Answer me. Did. You. Know?”
Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly nodded.
“I want to hear you say the words.”
“Julian,” her brother stated. “This isn’t helping—”
“Fuck you, Christian!” I pushed him, needing to take out my frustration. “You have the audacity to stand there and come for me, when you knew I had a daughter, and you couldn’t bother to pick up the damn phone and tell me?”
He jerked back. “I didn’t know she was your daughter—none of us did. She looks nothing like you. She’s Autumn to a T. Besides, Autumn told us it was a one-night stand, and no one knew you guys were fucking around up until a few days ago.”